I'm one of those who uses earplugs every time I ride. I didn't use them as a teenager riding dirt bikes, but I have ever since I started riding on the street. I had an ear infection years ago that caused me to lose some range in my right ear, so I want to preserve what's left as long as possible. Also, I find it more relaxing on long rides to be free of the wind noise and I can still hear bike sounds, cars and other noises without too much difficulty. I've never invested in custom earplugs, preferring to buy the foam ones in bulk. At the moment I'm halfway through a box of 200 pairs of 3M E-A-R plugs that I bought online for a good price. As a certified 'cheap bastige,'™(complete with some Scottish blood) I can sometimes get two or three days out of one pair of disposables before I notice that they aren't expanding as they should, or l lose or drop one.
I recently came across a video (below) by E-A-R that shows the proper technique for insertion. I have to admit, for many years I was just cramming them in. Then I learned about rolling them, which helped a lot, then about pulling on the ear to straighten the canal. My take-away from the video is that I should be compressing them even more than I usually do.
[video: http://youtube.com/embed/SPNPZJingZA?html5=1&fs=1]
I started wearing ear plugs a while back but have had my time under the sun without them. It wasn't until later in life did I start to notice the discomfort when not wearing ear plugs, when I did not have any available. Although every now and then I use the foam plugs, I switched to 'mighty plugs', which are more pliable and "tunable" than conventional foam plugs. They're made of beeswax and cotton and are absolutely the most comfortable earplugs I've ever worn. www.earplugsonline.com
Although the video more or less showed what I already knew, it was good confirmation and reinforcement of how to properly install and wear earplugs, so thanks for posting.
Cheers
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whooooooooooo thanks for the laugh!! :fing02:
This is a good video and is exactly how i was taught to use foam ear plugs. Very useful post!
I use Moldex 6800 plugs that i bought in a 200 piece box. I don't recall the cost but it was very affordable. They really take the wind noise away.
No matter what you use, earplugs are key when riding. Happy with my BigEars after...5 years now or so.
I use Howard Leight plugs every day, because they're not particularly noise-reducing (plus I don't insert them all the way in. This cuts out the wind noise, and most of the road noise, so I can listen to loud music. :wacko:
For touring and other things, I use 3M plugs, because they are particularly noise-reducing. I wish I'd had them in the 70s and 80s.
I have a 200 pack of the 3M plugs; keep a zip lock baggie of them in my tank bag in case I drop one or have a flat~
They make riding MUCH more serene, & tone down the BRAAAAAT of my D&D exhaust to an acceptable level....
The arm over the head technique to open the ear canal, got it! Useful post.
I have custom molded ear plugs but always carry a few spare foam plugs with me. Good info on how to properly insert them, thanks :fing02: